Love can be Hell
by Animefreak11
Summary: Kurama and Hiei. Complete opposites, yet much the same. Hisa and Kikyou. Different situations, yet similar. The changes and the changed join together. What is to come? Rating might change later on for lemon. Also Drama. No plot for the end yet.
1. How it began

**Summary**: Based on rp (role playing) with _BloodyVampiress_. Kikyou, a half vampire, is hired to kill Hiei; Hisa goes to a new school, yet again, and meets a certain red head. Incredible adventures await the four friends as their friendship grows, could this possibly be the start of a new romance? There really is no plot for the end, we just kept going and I decided to change it into a story. Read, enjoy and reviews are appreciated.

**_Disclaimer_**: Neither _BloodyVampiress_ nor myself own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of the characters we use for your entertainment. She owns Kikyou, Kijuro and Kiku and I own Hisa, Riko, Toshi and Chito and whoever else we invented…

**Love can be Hell**  
By _Animefreak11_  
(and I credit _BloodyVampiress_ for 65 percent of the ideas though she disagrees…)

"blah" - talking  
'_blah_' - thinking  
/blah/ - telepathy  
-blah- - scene change

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Chapter 1: How it began**

-Demon world-  
Hiei was wandering around Makai aimlessly, killing whoever dared to pick a fight with him, in which case none survived. His katana was clutched in his right hand as he blurred behind a low class demon and sliced him in tiny pieces, which fell to the ground that became tainted with filthy green blood. After wiping his katana on the dead demon's clothes, he sheathed his now shiny weapon and started walking at his normal pace, his piercing red eyes glancing around the area furtively.

He was at the border of a town, the end of a more or less tranquil forest since he had to kill at least a dozen demons just to get through. Somehow they always seemed to pick a fight with him, maybe it was just because of his height, or maybe his reputation had preceded him and they all wanted revenge for a distant cousin's twin twice removed from his sister's friend's uncle. In any case, the forest was now calm and quiet and one could hear the peaceful running sound of a nearby stream if one listened closely enough.

The sun shone brightly, its light being absorbed into the leaves of the trees to produce oxygen by photosynthesis and all that wonderful stuff that nature does without being noticed by any living creatures living on two legs, also known as humans. For we all know the animals are well aware of what nature does to make us live. Today was quite a windy day, there was always a small breeze but strong enough to mess up your hair and hear the complaints from miles away… Well to those who cared about their hair style anyway, I doubt that includes Hiei.

Meanwhile, Kikyou was sitting on the porch of her old looking mansion in Makai, bored out of her mind. The wind caused her black waist length hair with highlights to drift in the air smoothly, then slowly settle back on her shoulder. She sighed loudly and started walking around the huge property she lived on, patrolling for any sign of trouble, her midnight blue eyes reflecting some of the daylight. Her body was suddenly lifted into the air, levitating. After all she was half vampire, and a quarter fire and the other quarter shadow demon, she could do as she pleased.

So she flew around for quite a while, telling the other vampires living in the mansion what should be fixed or congratulating them on their latest marriage or talk show. Once she was done flying around the humongous property she flew out, above the gates and the well kept gardens and started walking towards wherever the wind would direct her.

-Human world, Kurama's school-  
Kurama walked to his locker, a trail of fan girls behind him asking if they could sit next to him this year. "Sorry ladies, I'm afraid I am not the one doing the seating chart." he smiled kindly at them, then looked at his new schedule, putting in his locker the books he wouldn't need for the morning. Once he told the girls waiting for him that he'd be heading for class, they all whined inaudibly and were forced to walk away from him. Kurama chuckled, sweat dropping and looked at his schedule again, going to his classroom.

Hisa's almost grey eyes looked nervously at her new school, '_Why do we have to move so much?_' she mentally sighed, perfectly knowing why. It was something her parents shouldn't be proud of, running away every time a problem arose, yet they didn't care. They said, "It's good for your social life." Even though they didn't really mean it since they had no idea what a social life _was_ in the first place. She went to the office, told the secretary her name and got her schedule, her locker number, a lock and was given the books she needed.

The first bell rung, signifying students had six minutes to go to their classroom, '_Oh no… I'm going to be late on my first day!_' stressed Hisa as she hurried to her locker, checked her schedule and hurried to her first class, English. After an embarrassing introduction, thank the teacher, she went to her next class, Biology. And in each class, teachers introduced her as a new student and that everyone should be nice to her and show her around. Finally the lunch bell rang and Hisa was glad to have a break from weird stares because of the color of her eyes.

"Yes, it's natural." she affirmed to a dozen people interested in her not because she was new but just because of her eyes. Eventually, she managed to open her locker and get out her lunch: a bottle of water. Dropping her bag on the green grass, Hisa sat down alone and thought the worst part of the day was over, she only had two classes left after lunch, History and Math. Sitting in the refreshing shadow of a tall oak tree, she drank her water and unconsciously rubbed her left shoulder, wincing slightly. The sun was high in the blue sky and the breeze picked up, making her medium length light black hair and her skirt drift until the breeze died down.

The bell rang and the students lazily stood up from their spot to head back to their classes which has the A/C on, it couldn't be that disturbing... Only two more hours of torture, but it could be worse. Since today was only the first day, they didn't have any homework, luckily. '_I'm sure I'll have plenty to do anyway…_' thought Hisa sighing, heading to History class, trying to avoid another embarrassing teacher pointing and student staring situation…

-Makai-  
Hiei arrived in a town filled with thieves, murderers, rapists and such other lovely company. Later, tired of walking pointlessly around a town where nothing seemed appealing, Hiei grunted and blurred away towards the peacefulness of the forest. Once he was alone, he walked on a dirt path bordered by boulders and bushes, thinking about what Koenma asked of him. "Hn. He'll wait." he said smirking, remembering the last time Koenma had tried to urge Hiei to do something. Let's just say he wasn't ready to forget how close he came of staying a baby forever…

Kikyou dropped back to the ground, remembering she had a job to accomplish. She took out a picture, more like a sketched drawing, of a demon with three eyes and spiky hair and flipped it backwards where there was the name, description, demon class and the "job" description itself. Kikyou looked at the sketch again and closed her eyes, trying to locate him. She disappeared as a black circle formed under her feet and absorbed her, when she opened her eyes she was in the town Hiei had just left.

'_He's been here… I can sense his energy but—where is he now?_' she thought walking quickly through the packed street full of shops, stands and running thieves. Kikyou smirked as she felt his energy out of the town, further up north, '_Here I go._' And she was off again, hopping from clean alley to dirty alley until the town was behind her and she found herself surrounded by trees of all sizes, rustling every time a cool gust of wind ruffled their healthy branches.

Hiei had his hands in his pockets, looking bored as always when he stopped walking, someone was emerging from the shadows in front of him. It was a girl about 5'2, she had long black hair with dark blue highlights, deep blue eyes and fair skin. Hiei narrowed his eyes, his hand going to the hilt of his katana by pure reflex and he waited. "You are Hiei Jaganshi, ne?" asked a soft, kind voice as her eyes twinkled with knowledge. "Hn. What if I am?" he replied coldly taking out an inch of the blade of his katana.

Kikyou grinned, "Good." she nodded, jumping behind him as she got her scythe out in mid air. She landed behind Hiei and lashed out her weapon, meant to hit him in the back but Hiei countered it with his katana, glaring at the strange girl who seemed to know him too well.

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That's it for now… I'll probably write more when I'm done multi-tasking and beta reading… I hope you enjoyed this and review if you wish, criticism encouraged! (Yes, that does indeed mean constructive criticism! Thanks _Painin Uranus_!) This is the edited version… hope it's better. 


	2. Confusion and despair

**_Disclaimer_**: Hasn't changed and won't change through the rest of the story… We own our OC's and not the people you know…

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Chapter 2: Confusion and despair**

-Ningenkai, Kurama's school-  
At last, Math class was over and most of the students rushed out to enjoy the rest of their afternoon. Internally wishing she could enjoy herself like the others, she took her time to gather her stuff. The teacher finished speaking to a student, then left the room to go to the teacher's lounge and get his stuff, leaving Hisa, Kurama and another student inside the classroom. Hisa carefully slung her backpack onto her right shoulder, grabbed her binder and started heading out, walking past the two students silently.

Once she was in the deserted hallway illuminated by the bright sun light, she turned to go to her locker when she heard footsteps coming out of the room she just left. Without glancing back she picked up her pace, "Miss!" called a gentle voice as the footsteps approached her, she mentally sighed and slowed her pace then stopped and turned around. "I'm sorry, you're name is Hisa correct?" asked a kind handsome teenager smiling at her. Hisa nodded shyly, trying not to look into his eyes, she wondered what color they were.

All she could see from staring at his shoulder was flashing red hair and a red uniform, "I think you must have dropped this." he told her as he opened his hand in front of her to show a keychain, "Oh… yes… Thanks." muttered Hisa softly, grabbing the keys as her skin brushed against his. Did it suddenly smell like roses? She quickly glanced up and saw shining emerald eyes looking down at her, that guy must be at least 5'8 and she was only a mere 5'5. Hisa started to feel a little uncomfortable under that friendly gaze, she wasn't used to it to say the least…

It was only when the clock chimed three o'clock that her eyes widened and she sharply turned around, "Sorry… I have to go." she said softly before walking to her locker quickly without glancing back once at the smiling red haired boy, she didn't even know his name and he knew hers. Well, she was used to it… People always seemed to know her and she had no clue why, maybe they liked talking about her behind her back. As she walked away, Kurama's smile fainted and he was left thoughtful, then he said good bye to the last student and went home.

-Makai-  
Hiei growled in annoyance at that onna, "Hn. If you wish to die, attack me." he taunted as he took a defensive stance, his katana glimmering in front of him. The girl wearing a dark blue fitted shirt with black capris snorted, "I don't give up an assignment even under threats." she replied her voice still soft. Hiei's eyes narrowed, so she was hired to kill him? "Who sent you?" he asked harshly his crimson eyes glaring at that girl, he could smell vampire but also fire and shadow powers.

Kikyou grinned, "I'll tell you once you're dead." she replied courteously and threw a scythe at his face, which he easily deflected with one flick of the wrist. Kikyou's weapon went flying and embedded itself in the trunk of a tree as Hiei smirked and blurred out of sight. '_Where did he go?_' pondered Kikyou before her second scythe was knocked out of her hands and she was pushed against the bark of a tall tree with something cold against her throat. She blinked and noticed two red orbs were glaring at her, and they were really close, so close she could see her reflection in his iris.

"Who sent you?" he asked again his voice emotionless, his shining katana pressed against Kikyou's throat just hard enough to draw a small trickle of blood. She didn't answer and suddenly she was engulfed in shadow as she teleports behind Hiei and kicked his back then ran to get one of her weapons. Quickly recovering from the blow, Hiei blurred behind her and slashed her back as she emitted a hiss of pain. Quickly swinging her scythe behind her she thought she at least scratched Hiei but no, he had blurred away in time.

'_She's fast._' he thought his eyes narrowed as he dodged all sorts of attacks coming from her. So they fought for a good half an hour, Kikyou managed to break Hiei's katana with her shadow powers and it was like playing cat and mouse. That is before Hiei decided to end this game and kicked the girl in the stomach, sending her collide against a large boulder. As quickly as the last time, his katana, the sharp broken end, was at her neck again, his blade almost covering the thin line of dried blood. "Who sent you?" he growled at her.

Kikyou sighed, her weapons were broken and she was a little tired, "Just kill me." she sighed deeply and closed her eyes, either way she would die if she didn't kill him so why wait? Surprise flittered through Hiei's eyes for a few seconds, "Hn." he replied, and with one last push on her throat, his shattered weapon was back in its sheath and he was walking away in the beautiful scenery consisting of trees cut in small pieces and the rare flowers trampled on once too many times.

Kikyou opened her eyes and saw him leave, "Hey!" she called as she walked after him, '_Why didn't he kill me?_' she thought while catching up to him. She was taller than him by approximately a head and her long hair was probably half his height. Hiei ignored that annoying onna and kept on walking, looking straight ahead. After about, oh let's say… fifteen minutes of being annoyed on why he didn't kill her he was forced to answer.

"Damare. Or I'll kill you now." He snapped back, '_The woods are never quiet._' he grumbled mentally as Kikyou kept following him around. '_Does she every quit?_' he was now growing angry, his crimson eyes darting to the side to get a glance at her hoping he wouldn't see her again on his trail, it was really getting on his nerves. Kikyou walked behind him, observing his weird spiked black hair, '_He's weird all right… Not exactly what I call proper manners. You either kill or injure, he did neither._' she thought while the cut on her back was slowly healing.

-Ningenkai-  
Hisa was rushing through the crowded streets, trying to go as fast as she could without bumping into anyone. Her face was pale, her stomach lurching around and her mind in turmoil. '_Why did I have to be late?_' she thought desperately as she finally reached the street she lived on, having moved here two days ago. She opened her tight fist to get the keys out when she noticed the door was open, taking in a deep breath she took a step inside. Instantly there was a hand grabbing her by the color of her uniform and pulling her inside, the door slamming shut noisily.

Hisa looked up, fear covering her facial features, "Why are you late?" barked her father still holding her up by the collar. "I- I lo- lost my k- keys…" she stuttered trying to explain herself to avoid any unnecessary punishment, though she knew it was pointless. Even if she had an excuse, it wouldn't be enough. "Liar! They're in your hand!" shouted her father while slapping her, leaving a red, sore cheek. Hisa whimpered slightly, trying to stay quiet, it only annoyed her father more when she was 'weak' so to speak in his own words.

Her father stood at a good 5'9, his black hair was a bit frizzy but never well cared for, always tangled up and it was short. He had dark brown eyes gleaming of rage under his glasses and a mustache. When Hisa's mother came in the hallway, he let Hisa go, still glaring murderously and started yelling at her mother, explaining why you were late. Her mother, on the other side was a complete mystery. Some days she could be as cruel as her husband towards her daughter while some times she tried to save her from more beatings or most of the time, she just stayed out of the matter.

Today apparently, was one of the latter, she shrugged and gathered her belongings, walking past Hisa and going outside. "We're going. You have until 11 to clean up this mess." growled her father signifying if the house wasn't clean, she'd get what she deserved. Hisa looked behind her, there were piles of boxes everywhere, stacked one on the other. Most of the boxes were in the hallway, next to the stairs, some on the stairs, some in the living room and some in the kitchen. "Understand?" he snapped as he pushed her against the nearest stack of boxes, which fell on her.

Her father snickered and slammed the door behind him, leaving his daughter sobbing under fallen boxes. Slowly, Hisa tried to sit up, the boxes on her legs rolling off to reveal ugly blue and purple bruises. The toughest was to get the boxes off her arms and back, they were heaviest. After struggling a bit, she finally managed to get all the boxes next to her as she contemplated her arms and les. The skin was scratched and red as if she had been a snake and changed skins. Unfortunately, she was no slithering reptile and she pulled the skin off her arms, a few drops of blood quickly drying up.

Hisa sighed heavily and looked around at the house once more, _nothing_ was unpacked. Except for some furniture such as tables, chairs and sofas; even the TV box was on its piece of furniture, waiting to be opened. A single tear rolled down Hisa's cheek but she quickly wiped it away, it was only proof that she truly was what her father always called her, 'weak.' Hisa looked at her watch, it was 3:11, she had until 11 pm to make the house look appealing to anyone to live in. Sighing deeply again, she read the note on a box and started heading towards the proper room, '_I'll take care of myself once I'm done._' she thought miserably, not daring to give her father another reason to get to her.

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Even though this is my nteenth story I still think my battle scenes suck more or less… Any constructive criticism strongly encouraged for me to somewhat improve. Hope you like it so far. Thanks for the reviews!  



	3. Truth can be painful

**_Disclaimer:_** No, still nothing has changed. We own our OC's and well… the rest we own in our dreams… . Not even. I own titles? Does that count?

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Chapter 3: Truth can be painful**

-Ningenkai-  
Hisa panted as she set down in a small room the very last box, hers. It contained all her life, her small, precious and rare possessions. It was 10:56 pm and she was done at last after putting away all the kitchen dishes, the numerous books on the proper shelves, the files in her dad's desk and especially paid close attention to her parent's room. If their room wasn't perfect, she was finished. It was that specific room that took her the longest, every tiny detail from the old house flashing in front of her eyes. Now having a bit of time for herself, four minutes was better than nothing, she headed to the newly arranged bathroom.

Hisa quickly took the bandages and some alcohol and headed back to her so called room, she had nothing in it except a bed, a mirror on the door of her ridiculously small closet, a broken desk and that was it. She quietly closed the door and sat on her bed that had no sheets, just an old, uncomfortable dilapidated mattress full of holes from which the foam came out. The front door opened loudly as it crashed into the wall, she heard heavy footsteps and assumed her parents were back. Hisa hurriedly disinfected her wounds and put cream on them, she couldn't miss the second say of school!

'_I hope he finds it ok, I hope he finds it ok._' prayed Hisa silently, listening closely for any odd sounds. The door of her room swung open, a bright light drowning the person who opened it in darkness. The breath in Hisa's lungs seemed to have frozen, it wasn't her dad… it was a stranger, apparently his boss. With wide eyes she managed to clumsily crawl back a little before the door was slammed shut, plunging them both into shadows. Hisa's parents didn't exactly _sell_ her, it was more of an arrangement her father usually passed with his new boss each time they moved.

The boss would use Hisa as his punching puppet for an hour or two, and her dad would receive more money than he really earned. Simple really. Hisa had always managed to get through school by hiding her bruises in every possible way, makeup for her face but that was rarer, long sleeves under her uniform though she'd get yelled at by the teachers, and for the legs… Well she always had to come up with some sort of excuse since she couldn't possibly wear pants under a skirt.

Somehow this new boss did not look like the others, not at_ all_. Hisa was now against the wall under the window, shaking ever so slightly as the man took menacing steps forward. Even though she couldn't really see his facial expression, she had the sick impression he was grinning like a mad man who escaped an asylum. For the next two hours, the heavy silence in the house was broken with glass shattering sounds, body colliding and such other joyful noises. Finally, the boss left Hisa's room and talked with her dad for a few minutes before leaving the house, and a really messy room with a limp unconscious teenager behind.

-Makai-  
"Stop following me!" growled Hiei in annoyance as the vampiress had been tagging along although he despised the idea, but no matter what he said he couldn't get her to stop. Kikyou didn't reply, '_That guy's just a short bully._' she thought with bitterness, '_But then why am I following him? Oh yeah, I wanna know why he didn't kill me…_' she shook her head, smiling sadly at herself. How could she almost forget? "So why didn't you kill me?" she asked Hiei for the gazillionth time. Hiei ignored her again, "Are you ignoring me just when it's useful to you?" inquired a getting pissed off Kikyou, Hiei just kept on walking, a smirk appearing on his lips.

"Hmph!" she snorted, "You know I _could_ knock you out and bring you back so they could torture you." added Kikyou glaring at Hiei's back, he was so short but had such an attitude that made her want to back hand him until he answered her or at least looked at her! Kikyou knew though that she couldn't fight him, he had proven himself a lot faster than her and he broke her weapons, '_But I did break his too._' she thought arguing whether or not to take the chance and still fulfill her job.

"You could, but you won't." came a cold answer breaking the silence that had settled in between the two. Kikyou looked up at Hiei, surprise on her face for a few seconds before she recomposed herself, "Are you certain?" she asked with a smirk, looking at him as if telling him she was capable of doing anything. "If you wanted to, you would have already tried." he replied just as coldly as before, quickly glancing back at her before his stare was directed back in front of him. Kikyou stared at him with a blank expression, could he possibly _know_ she would never do that according to her simple set of honorable principles?

Kikyou's lips stretched into a gentle smile, "I would never, that's true. It's not my style. Besides… you're too great of a fighter to land in a trap like that." she said admiring his skills. While we all know that Hiei never shows he is flattered, Kikyou didn't really know much about his character, other than he was really stubborn and cold. Hiei glanced back at her one more time, said nothing, and looked back at the path in front of him. The flowers' scent was filling his nostrils along with a strange new smell, the scent of a female demon who kept following him.

-Ningenkai-  
The next day at school during the last class, Kurama noticed Hisa wasn't there. '_That's strange… She didn't look like the type to ditch on the second day._' he thought while packing his stuff once the bell rang, he picked up his bag and headed home, his eyes wandering on the smooth looking grey clouds. '_There was something… different about her._' he started thinking about Hisa's strange aura, was it? '_Not… spirit energy yet… it's as if she could feel when someone's in great pain._' he kept on thinking and barely noticed when he arrived in front of his building. His subconscious took over and walked him back inside and forced him out of his torpor so he would start the little homework he had.

When Hisa woke up it was already late afternoon, her body was aching and sore, her stomach rumbling loudly for some food. Standing up weakly she looked at her pale reflection in the mirror and sighed heavily, a lot of covering up to do for tomorrow. '_Tomorrow? Oh no! I missed a day of school! What are they going to say? What if they ask me—they ask me…_' she started panicking then buried her face in her hands, biting back her tears. '_Calm down… They've always asked… and never noticed before a week or two._' she took deep breaths and stood up on shaky legs, opening the door silently.

No one in sight, she limped out of the room and downstairs, still no one. She took a deep breath and dragged herself in the kitchen, no one! '_They must have… something to do._' she tried to reassure herself, opening the fridge to get a small bite of—what was that? Hisa closed the fridge slowly, there was some sort of liquid sticking to her hand. Carefully taking her hand off the handle, she turned her palm towards the ceiling and her eyes widened. She quickly stepped away from the fridge, looking at her hand one more time. There was no doubt about it, that crimson sticky substance was blood. Hisa turned her gaze towards the floor, how could she have missed it?

There were blood stains all over the tiles, leaving a trail leading into the family room. Hisa's heart pounded loudly in her rib cage, taking slow and silent steps, she followed the blood and her eyes widened at the horrible sight. She was surprise she didn't faint but her stomach lurched as if she was going to throw up. Flashes of her childhood playing before her blood red eyes, she snapped them closed suddenly and staggered backwards. '_Not again… He can't have… Not—again…_' Hisa thought sickly, a hand covering her mouth as she forced herself up the stairs, her face livid and her body shaking in horror.

Slowly closing the door behind her, Hisa lays down on her bed, feeling really sick. Later during the night she heard footsteps and the sound of dragging, she turned her head towards the wall, if her dad knew she was awake he'd probably beat her so badly she'd have to miss school for about a week and a half to at least hide the bruises. Hisa sighed and buried her face flat on the edge of the pillow so she could breathe a little easier. '_Why does he have to be so cruel?_' she pondered trying her best to suppress her tears, her efforts prove vain when one tear escapes her closed eyelids and gets absorbed into the pillow.

The next day after carefully hiding her bruises, Hisa went back to school, avoiding putting her bag on her shoulders since her dad's boss had been so keen on using his metal belt to whip her. The day wasn't as bad as Hisa thought it would be after being absent for the second day, some teachers had saved her homework while others just told her to forget about it. It was too minimal to be troubled by it. The last class was by far the most surprising, somebody had actually bothered to take the notes and homework _for_ her. Looking up to see who was presenting a page of notes to her, her crimson eyes meet emerald sparkling ones.

"Thanks…" she whispered embarrassed, taking the notes by the end of the class after making sure she had the homework written down. "You're welcome." he replied kindly, his red hair shining under the sunlight filtering through the window, "My name is Suichi Minamino." he introduced himself, extending a hand to shake. "Err… I'm… Hisa." she replied shyly, her hand hesitating before grabbing his and shaking it a little clumsily. Kurama smiled at Hisa, "Are you feeling better?" he asked kindly, his sharp eyes noticing the smallest details on her body such as bruises just at the edge of her shirt.

Hisa looked up at him, her eyes showing surprise and fear, "Feel—better?" she forced herself to look calmer, "Yes, you've been absent for a day I assumed you were ill. Was it something else?" he inquired curiously. Hisa shook her head, feeling her cheeks heating up a bit, "Iie… I was… ill." she finished in a whisper and stood up, keeping her heavy bag in her hands. Kurama noticed she didn't put it on her back and remembered how the first day she had done so carefully, "Could you have back problems?" he asked again, a gentle smile forming on his lips.

'_He can't find out!_' screamed Hisa's mind, "I err… a little." answered Hisa trying to smile but failing. "I see… Do you need me to carry this for you then?" he pointed at her bag, Hisa's eyes quickly glancing at her bag, then at Kurama, "No it's quite alright." she nodded to herself taking a step passed him, "Thanks but I have to go." added Hisa and rushed towards her locker again. Kurama nodded and watched her leave curiously, '_Was that smell alcohol?_' he pondered and walked home quickly. Once he arrived he dropped his stuff in his room and went to the bathroom, looking for something. '_Found it._' He opened a small transparent bottle and slightly frowned, '_It **was** alcohol…_'

"Did you get hurt Suichi?" came the voice of his mother, Shiori, from the door. Kurama quickly put the bottle away, "Oh no mother, I just needed to verify something." he smiled at her and went to peck her cheek.

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This chapter is longer than the others… I changed some stuff from the actual rp but that's only so there's an evolution in the friendships and stuff, I think I'll skip around a lot later so you must assume they keep talking to each other and getting closer as friends… Yeah… I do think I'm focusing too much on Hisa right now, but to be honest I have no clue how to make Kikyou and Hiei get closer as friends, except for one thing later on… Review if you wish, criticism still valuable! 


	4. Failure

**_Disclaimer:_** Sorry, nothing has changed… Nothing will until… until nothing…

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Chapter 4: Failure**

-Makai-  
"I'm Kikyou Anyakinashi." blurted out Kikyou randomly after another hour of silence. She waited patiently for an answer but Hiei didn't say a single word or do something that might let her know he heard her. Kikyou opened her mouth to tell him he was being rude when Hiei spoke first, "You already know my name." Kikyou blinked and smiled, "Yeah but it's not properly introducing someone then…" Hiei stopped walked and turned his head sideways to look at her, "Hn. Hiei Jaganshi." he said as his red gaze returned on the dirt road in front of him, after all she had proved herself a worthy opponent.

She had broken his weapon and her speed was faster than most demons, though not as fast as him but that was to be expected. Kikyou had also shown she had respect towards opponents and wouldn't simply attack from behind. Kikyou smiled and walked a little closer to him, that is five feet away, "What kind of demon are you?" she inquired curiously, she could feel something strange in him as if he wasn't really… complete. "Hn." was his usual answer when he didn't feel like responding. Kikyou sweat dropped, "I didn't know there were 'Hn' types of demons…" she slightly grinned.

Hiei rolled his eyes but said nothing, he had stopped walking next to a charming little spring with a really tiny water fall. The grass all around was as green as in the human world and the flowers were simply beautiful. Now, all of this could have been a romantic scene if it wasn't tainted by putrid horrible black blood. Hiei narrowed his eyes and his hand instinctively grabbed the handle of his katana before he remembered it was broken and useless. From the corner of his eyes he saw a shadow jump around them as another joined the first shadow, '_We're being circled… but who's the target? Is it… me? Or—_' but his thoughts were interrupted when three dozens of small darts were thrown at him.

-Ningenkai-  
Hisa had almost ran home and the effort was worth nothing, she was on time but it didn't save her the beating her dad used to greet her with. After managing to escape him with a bloody lip and at least a dozen of new bruises, Hisa limped upstairs and closed the door to her small room. '_Why does he have to be like that?_' she thought wiping the only tear that managed to get through her closed eyelids. She knew why, he was probably still angry at her for his loss, but didn't he think she missed _her_ too? Even though he blamed Hisa for _her_ death she never had anything to do with it.

'_Even if I told him he wouldn't believe me... He's blinded by hatred._' she kept on thinking as she wiped the crimson, sweet tasting liquid out of her mouth. Sighing deeply, Hisa gently rubbed on her new bruises and hoped nobody would ask her why she was limping. She walked to her desk, imagining herself at school and she tried to walk normally only to bite her tongue to refrain herself from screaming. Her right leg was killing her, there was no way nobody would notice tomorrow. '_I just hope **he** won't ask me more questions..._' she thought back to the red headed boy who was the only one to take notice of her "back problem" so he called it.

'_He's the only one smart enough to put the pieces together and find out..._' Indeed he was starting to be a problem, she didn't know what had betrayed her. Usually students noticed but kept their mouth shut, sometimes one would slip the word to a teacher and that's when trouble really started. The evening went by much quicker than she expected, pretty soon her stomach was growling loudly but she didn't dare to risk going downstairs. Not until her dad was soundly asleep. Hisa finished her homework in a few minutes, surprised at how easy it was. '_All I can do now is wait..._' she sighed and limped back to her bed.

Lifting her head from the pillow, Hisa noticed it was one o'clock and usually her dad went to bed around midnight. Carefully pushing herself up, Hisa limped to the door and listened. Not a sound. Mentally sighing in relief she opened the door silently and limped downstairs, her leg aching madly. Once she was in the kitchen she let the lights off, she wouldn't want to take the chance of waking her dad up. As she put her hand on the handle, yesterday's events flashed back in her mind and she felt sick once again. Forcing some food down her throat, Hisa drank some water and tried to clear her head from the haunting images. She couldn't. How was she expected to? She was sure to be traumatized until she died.

-Makai-  
Hiei easily dodged all the darts by blurring from tree to tree and he looked down to see the vampiress surrounded by a black shield. Hiei took this opportunity to kill the two demons attacking him and blur away before Kikyou could realize he was gone. "Where did he--?" she asked herself out loud, "... He didn't leave I hope." she growled lowly. Hiei stopped running as he kept walking towards the edge of the forest at his normal pace, his piercing gaze glancing around now and then. Kikyou stomped her foot on the ground and refrained herself from punching down a tree, "Damn it!" she cursed through gritted teeth.

Kikyou knew she couldn't have possibly followed Hiei until he stopped somewhere, but she did manage to keep up with him for a day and a half. Now her last chance of fulfilling her job had vanished, along with her guarantee of staying alive. Sighing loudly and exasperatedly, Kikyou turned around and left the romantic clearing full of poisoned darts. Though she would never admit aloud to others or herself, she felt a little down he had left without saying anything. '_What am I thinking... He's a job, nothing more._' she repeated in her mind over and over to convince herself to forget about him.

She failed. Whatever she told herself she couldn't keep his red eyes out of her mind, they were too unique and... melancholic to forget about. She mumbled insults at herself for being foolish and she teleported back to her head quarters, preparing herself for the worse. "Where's his head?" came the low, sharp voice of her boss, "He... broke my weapons." she started, deciding telling the truth in the first place can get you farther than just lying out flat. "So? Didn't he turn his back on you then?" the boss's eyes glaring at her angrily. Kikyou hesitated, then nodded, "Then why didn't you kill him? Or capture him?" his voice grew louder with each word.

"Be-cause! Listen to me!" she shouted to be heard, "I broke his weapon and he broke mine, he's faster, he's a great fighter. I'm no match for him! Not without any weapons!" it was her turn to be angry, her midnight blue eyes glaring daggers at the demon sitting in front of her. He sighed but smirked, "I figured you wouldn't succeed on your first try, didn't you get the help?" he raised an eyebrow waiting for an answer. Kikyou blinked confusedly, "Help? You sent help. For me?" the words came out slowly as her anger rose, who did he think he was? He chuckled bitterly, "There's no need to be offended. You should accept help in extreme cases. This, is an extreme case."

Kikyou rolled her eyes, "I was following him! When he would stay somewhere I would have come back for new weapons and possibly help." she spat the last word. Her boss laughed this time, "Do you really think he stops anywhere? When he has a destination in mind he gets there without stopping. You'd be dead on the third day." he said amusedly. Kikyou snorted, "I did fine until now, until... those goons appeared and threw darts at him. That's when I lost him!" she was loosing her temper rather quickly, which wasn't a good thing. "Now listen." he spoke lowly and dangerously, "Consider yourself lucky I won't kill you today. But tomorrow, the chase will start. Tomorrow, we will kill him. The first one to land a blow gets ten times the prime."

-Ningenkai-  
Limping as slightly as she could manage without wincing, Hisa made her way to her last class. '_Please let the day be over..._' she thought desperately on the verge of tears. All day she had been tortured under the eyes of teachers and pupils. None had noticed, except for a few short glances and pity showing in their eyes for five seconds and it was forgotten, next subject please! Now she was about to faint in the hallway, students rushing to their next class without a glimpse at the lone figure leaning on the wall and not moving. Hisa bit her bottom lip and took a step, pain surging through her leg as she stopped walking.

Then out of the blue, the images of the body in the family room danced in front of her eyes, draining the blood from her face quickly. Hisa felt sick again, her free hand covered her mouth as she took deep breaths to force the bitter acid back down her throat. "Are you alright Hisa?" came a familiar voice tainted with a bit of concern, Hisa looked up into emerald eyes and her heart started racing. Of all people in the school, why did _he_ have to be the one noticing her troubles? It was as if he was following her or paying special attention to her for some reason. Hisa tried to nod but she felt that if she moved her head, she would throw up.

"Hai... you should go to class. You're going to be late." she whispered taking her hand off her mouth, her body trembling slightly as a cold sweat spread on her skin. Kurama eyed her carefully and turned around slowly, giving her one last glance and he stepped in the classroom when he heard a 'thud' noise as the bell rang. Letting go of his bag, Kurama rushed back outside to see Hisa on her knees, her stuff spread out of her bag on the ground, one white hand gripping on the wall, it seemed the only thing refraining her from being flat on the floor. "Sir I'll take Hisa to the infirmary." said Kurama as the teacher arrived.

The teacher glanced at Hisa and nodded quickly, "Very well Suichi. I will not mark you late." he replied and closed the door behind him as the curious students tried to peek in the hallway. Kurama knelt in front of Hisa, who's hair was covering her face, "Can you stand?" he asked softly as he put her stuff back in her bag. Still unable to move her head for a reply or risk to throw up, Hisa whispered her answer instead, "Iie." Kurama then gently grabbed Hisa under her arms and pulled her up, putting an arm securely around her back and under her left arm to make sure she wouldn't collapse on the way.

Hisa tensed somewhat, his arm was right on top of the nastiest bruises and cuts she had, she almost gasped when she realized her right side was touching him but her mind was too dizzy and confused to make anything out of it. "Can you walk?" he asked on that same soft and gentle voice, Hisa felt really off balance so she unconsciously leaned on Kurama for support and slowly she nodded. Kurama smiled and started walking towards the nurse's office, Hisa smugly following him as she tried to clear her head from the terrible images. Hisa winced and remembered she had to limp to not feel the pain.

Kurama noticed but said nothing at the moment, finally they reached the infirmary and Kurama guided Hisa to a bed as the nurse checked her temperature. "You've got a fever." she said sternly and examined her arms closely, the nurse frowned slightly, "I think I'll call your parents." she turned around to grab the phone. Meanwhile Kurama had the hand on the door and about to go back to class when he heard a gasp and a shifting noise on the bed, he turned around to see Hisa's white hand grabbing the nurse's arm. "Not my parents." she whispered her eyes wide, the little remaining color disappearing from her face.

Kurama frowned but left the infirmary, pretending he didn't hear and went to class deep in thought, ignoring the questions from his neighbors such as "What happened?" "Where were you?"

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Yes well... That's chapter 4... longer than the rest but again I think the chapters are going to grow in length... Anyway thank you very much for the reviews and... keep reviewing if you enjoy it. Criticism still accepted! 


	5. Happy memories?

**_Disclaimer:_** Ha... I wish...

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Chapter 5: Happy memories?**

-Six months later, in Makai-  
"A simple 'thanks' would have sufficed ya know?" mumbled Kikyou, her arms crossed on her chest as she followed Hiei away from the cliff he almost fell off if Kikyou hadn't showed up at the proper time. "Hn." was his usual answer that made Kikyou sigh, " Is it 'cuz you think you have a debt towards me if you say something?" she asked him while staring at the back of his head. She hadn't realized at first, but she was taller than him by at least half a head... and his spiky hair was only a way to cheat. No answer. "Fine... then I'll remind you of all the times you owe me a thank you and if you say only one, I won't hold it against you." she said smirking, hearing a little sigh coming from Hiei. "First of all, the first time we met..."

--Flashback--  
"Jaganshi!" Hiei stopped short, recognizing the scent of the demon behind him. Slowly, he turned around, a small frown on his features. Kikyou was standing there, her breathing a bit heavier than it was supposed to be, "What do you want?" he nearly snapped at her. Kikyou glared back, "I'm here to warn you... Every bounty hunter is out to get you." she said taking a few steps closer to him, "Hn. And?" he slightly raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms on his chest to show he wasn't the least intimidated. "You'll be killed if you don't follow me." she replied un-fazed by his cold attitude, Hiei merely shrugged in reply "I can handle it." he said confidently.

Kikyou stared with emotionless eyes, "Uh huh... As great as you are at fighting, I'm sure you can't handle more than 500 demons at the same time right?" she asked with a fake pretty too cute smile before she suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him towards a denser part of the forest. Hiei instantly yanked his hand free but followed her, his frown gone. Although he'd never admit it, she was right. He couldn't possibly defend himself without a proper weapon and he hadn't reached his destination yet, in another words that meant trouble. "Once we reach the little cav-- Shit!" Kikyou dodged a dozen flying daggers.

Hiei used his abnormally fast speed to avoid all the sharp blades and waited until they were all stuck in barks or in the ground to look around for Kikyou and the attackers. He slightly sweat dropped when he found that Kikyou was in a heated argument with someone in a language unknown to him but he was pulled out of his thoughts when at least 30 ugly middle class demons attacked him. First dodge, then punch, jump, crack the neck followed by a blur and another body falling. "Hiei!" shouted Kikyou from inside her shadow shield that seemed about to vanish, her eyes were half pleading half expecting. "Hn." he grunted but briefly nodded and blurred away from the attacking demons.

Kikyou was enveloped in shadows and then was gone, her old boss showing up slowly. "That bitch... She'll regret it deeply." he said through gritted teeth, glancing at the number of corpses. Meanwhile Kikyou appeared in front of Hiei, "They'll come back for you **and** me." she said looking around before grabbing Hiei's arm, "We have to go to Ningenkai... I have a place there..." she said as shadows surrounded both of them, Hiei's eyes narrowed slightly.

--End of flashback--  
"And you never did say thank you." finished Kikyou before going on, counting on her fingers how many times she had helped him out and how many times he was being ungrateful to her. Hiei sighed again and decided to ditch Kikyou while she was talking to herself. He had tried _everything_ that came to mind to make her leave him alone, but nothing would work, she only got mad for a few minutes when he ditched her. So he blurred away, leaving Kikyou going on and on about his macho attitude and that she wouldn't help him out anymore until he had said thank you.

-Ningenkai, Kurama's school-  
Kurama was at his locker, taking the books he needed for diverse homework assignments and leaving the ones he had no use of. He looked at his watch and hurried towards the gate, hoping to catch Hisa before she had to rush home to avoid the wrath of her parents, especially her dad. Hisa was at the gate, biting her bottom lip while waiting impatiently for her only friend. It had been a while before she actually opened up to Suichi, but he had managed to break the ice day by day. She remembered very well how it all started...

--Flashback--  
After ditching the nurse's office, she had sought refuge on the roof to think before going home. When the bell rang, she reached a conclusion and stood up, rubbing her right arm absentmindedly. She stood on the edge of the building for five minutes, staring down at the concrete through glassy eyes, most of her life flashing by little bits and pieces of images. Kurama was the last one to leave class again, he found strange that the nurse and principal had asked if Hisa had come back to class. He walked over to the open window and was about to close it when he saw a small shadow on the concrete two floors beneath him.

His eyes slightly widened and he dashed out of the classroom, his long red hair seemed to fly behind him as he rushed to the roof access. Hisa closed her dry eyes, she couldn't cry. Even if she was about to die. She couldn't regret anything in her life since she had been, and still was, deprived of everything. Everything except pain. Hisa took a deep breath, barely registering the sound of the door being busted open followed by light footsteps. She leaned forward, feeling gravity slowly pulling her chest down and knew the rest of her body would follow logically. Kurama hurried towards the only hole in the fence that was supposed to prevent anyone from falling off.

When Hisa thought the hour of deliverance had come, she felt a strong iron grip on her left arm and snapped her eyes open. Who knew she was up here? Who could possibly prevent her from being happy for the first time in her life? Hisa's eyes widened slightly, '_Shuichi?_' she thought incredulous, "Let go." she begged in a whisper, turning her eyes away from his. "I won't." he said in between short breaths, one hand holding onto the fence so he wouldn't fall over. Hisa tried to yank her arm free of his grasp and in the process, she knocked herself onto her knees with one leg hanging over the edge. "... Let go... It will be over soon." she asked again a little louder.

"I cannot." replied Kurama, his hand on the fence turning white because the blood wasn't circulating enough. Hisa looked away, her arm starting to throb painfully where he was holding her so tightly, "You don't understand... I have no friends, no life, no love. I have a heart made of stone." Hisa started to break down slowly, letting her body relax which allowed Kurama to quickly let go of the fence to grab Hisa's arm with two hands and pull her back on the roof. Kurama looked down at the figure sobbing silently beneath him and his eyes softened, "Then someone needs to teach you how to be a friend and to love." he said softly gently lifting her up on her feet.

Hisa followed him blindly back through the hole in the fence and stopped when he stopped, a few tears racing down her cheeks to see which one would fall on the ground first. Kurama had stopped at the corner before the door and slowly pulled Hisa in a comforting hug, "Your parents have no right to inflict such pain on you." he said softly, hearing the small gasp of shock and terror escape Hisa's throat. Hisa had been surprised at the hug, it was probably her first one and she didn't really know what to do... except, relax in that warmness. Slowly and carefully, her arms wrapped around Kurama's back and she hugged him tightly, her sobs shaking her frail body.

Kurama smiled a little and sat down on the concrete, Hisa sitting next to him still in his arms and letting go of everything she had been hiding since it all started. Kurama just rubbed her back gently, providing more comfort than he thought he possibly could. After a while, Hisa's sobs died down and eventually stopped, at which point she realized she had been burying her head in Kurama's chest and blushed a deep crimson color before drying her wet face. "... How did you know... about-- about my parents?" she asked after a moment of silence. Kurama turned to look at Hisa, "I smelled alcohol once and... you ditched the nurse." he chuckled.

Hisa smiled sheepishly then lost her smile again, "... They can't find out... It'll only make it worse..." she stared at her feet stretched out in front of her. "Can't the social service help out?" asked Kurama in a soft voice, looking at a specific spot on Hisa's leg, "No... my parents will move if they're contacted..." she replied softly pushing her skirt as far as it could go on her leg. "... Can I see?" asked Kurama motioning to what she was trying to hide, and without waiting for an affirmative answer, he pushed the skirt over the big bruise on Hisa's thigh.

Her first reaction wasn't embarrassment that a guy was actually touching her thigh, but she really wanted to hide the fact she was beaten by her parents. Hisa tried to push his hand away while standing up but Kurama grabbed her waist, "I won't tell anyone." he said smiling encouragingly then looked at the bruise again. This time, Hisa _did_ realize a **guy**, cute mind you, was _touching_... her... thigh. The part the skirt was supposed to cover. Her considerable pale face instantly turned a bright red, maybe brighter than Kurama's hair and she looked like a volcano ready to explode.

--End of flashback--

Hisa noticed Kurama was rushing to get to her and she smiled, he had kept his promise. He had shown her what friends do and ever since, she had been able to endure her parents' wrath without sulking for days or weeks. "Sorry I'm late..." apologized Kurama breathing faster than usual, "It's ok..." she smiled at him, even though he was her only friend, her shyness was natural and she always kept her voice quiet. "Can I walk you home today?"asked Kurama starting to walk out of the school grounds, Hisa shook her head slowly, "No... if my dad saw you..." was all she needed to say and he understood.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow." he slightly bowed his head and headed left, probably going to meet his other friends. It was strange to think he had missed so much school since he started to frequent that strange boy with gelled hair and his friend with bright orange hair. "Alright..." she smiled at him and walked to the right, thinking how many times she took the homework for him, it made her feel somewhat important. One day he looked a bit paler than usual but he said he was sick, what could she say? After missing school it's only normal to still be a bit sick when you come back. Hisa sighed and arrived home, hearing her dad yell at her mum once more.

-Makai-  
"Are you even listening to me?" asked Kikyou finally realizing the silence was too profound to be natural and she turned around to see no one. "Grr... he ditched me _again_!" she growled lowly and teleported back to Ningenkai, '_That hot headed jerk!_' she thought clenching her fists. '_He's dead when I find him!_' Now of course Kikyou would never kill Hiei, she had grown much too fond of him to even blow on his spiky hair to make it go sideways. Well... maybe not, she loved teasing him until he almost lashed out at her with his new shiny katana. She sighed and walked gloomily back to her secret place in human world.

'_Ever since he started seeing these people... he's not the same anymore..._' she thought a bit jealous he was spending more time with his new friends than her. "But... I guess I can't expect more from _him_." she slightly pouted but held her head high. Kikyou smiled to herself, '_Maybe his new friends are changing him into a better person..._' she recalled that one time... "Whatever... It's not like he needs me..." she sighed softly.

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Oh yes, can anyone tell me if is really forbidding authors to answer reviews because I checked the rules and didn't see anything. So if you read it on the site somewhere **please** let me know! 

And sorry about... the long... **long**, long delay... I kinda had writer's block... then school started... and I drowned at least 15 times in that first week... We all know homework is evil but it's even worse when you have to write essays all the time and take history notes every night and read a lot for stupid AP English class... So please forgive me! I hope this chapter made up for it though...


	6. Can you say trouble?

THANKS FOR WAITING EVERYONE! I'm so sorry... Explanations you can skip are at the bottom... but need I to say school is evil? I have no life this year... But I'm glad I finished this chapter... Enjoy!

**_Disclaimer:_** I own what is mine, you own what is yours. Makes sense? Good.

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Chapter 6: Can you say trouble?**

-Ningenkai-  
Hisa silently wept in her room, tending to her minor cuts, '_Why does he have to bring it up again?_' she thought biting her lip. She closed her eyes, trying to erase the bashful and nasty comments her father made earlier. Sighing softly, Hisa got out a piece of paper from her backpack, maybe it was worth calling Shuichi's friend. Cracking the door of her room open, Hisa peered in the hallway and checked both ways then listened for any sounds. Silence and no one around. Hisa crept out of her room and tip toed to her parents' room, heading for the phone.

As quickly as she could, Hisa dialed Kayko's phone number, clearly remembering Shuichi introducing her as a friend of that punk who's name Hisa had forgotten already. "Hello?" asked a somewhat cheerful voice on the other line. "Um, hello? This is Hisa... Shuichi gave me your number..." replied Hisa in a hushed tone, scared her dad was about to burst in her room and beat her to death. "Oh yes, Hisa. It's nice to hear from you. Is anything wrong?" she asked suddenly concerned. "... Nothing too bad... I... just need your help for a little while..." answered Hisa as truthfully as she could without actually admitting her dad was abusing her.

After giving her address to Kayko, Hisa hung up and checked the house to make sure she wouldn't get yelled at for bringing a stranger into their "humble home." '_Maybe I do have some luck..._' thought Hisa almost smiling while waiting next to the door. Ten minutes later, a soft knock was heard from the door and Hisa opened instantly. Kayko stood in the doorway, the wind blowing her two piggy tails and blue skirt to the side. "It's nice of you to come." thanked Hisa in a small voice and stepped aside from the door as Kayko entered. Kayko nodded, smiling a little, "I was a bit worried when you called... Shuichi... told me about your situation."

Hisa glanced at Kayko's face then stared at the ground, she had expected this. Kayko _had_ to know or she couldn't help her at all... Hisa closed the door and hurried back in her room, closing her door behind Kayko. "Sorry for the poor accommodation..." whispered Hisa sitting on the edge of her bed as Kayko shook her head, "Don't worry about it... So what did you call me for?" she looked at Hisa intently. Letting go of her bottom lip, Hisa carefully lifted her shirt on her back, revealing ugly infected gashes. Kayko let out a loud gasp, "Oh my goodness!"

Hisa let her shirt fall back in place, "... Promise me... you won't tell **anyone**. Not even Suichi." she whispered pleadingly. Kayko bit her lip, "But... you have to tell _someone_." she replied sadly, incapable of bearing such a heavy secret by herself. "Promise me..." begged Hisa through teary eyes which made Kayko sigh and nod, "Alright... I promise." she gave a hint of a smile and sat behind Hisa on the bed. Hisa carefully laid down on her stomach, sighing silently as she felt Kayko lifting the shirt just enough to uncover the putrid gashes.

-With the gang-  
"So who was that shy chick you introduced me to last week?" asked Kuwabara ready to ask her to go out with him. Kurama sighed but chuckled softly, "Hisa Jashuya, she's new to the neighborhood." he stated calmly, ignoring Hiei's annoyed look and Yusuke's smirk. "Right... and... why did you introduce her to Kayko then?" inquired Yusuke with an eyebrow raised, Kurama coughed uneasily, he couldn't betray her secret so he would have to tell minimal portions of the truth. "... She... needed some help..." he finally replied, truthfully, looking at Yusuke with his usual serene look.

Yusuke answered him by a skeptical look, "She's in _your_ school... not Junior High... Doesn't that mean Kayko should be getting help from her?" Kurama slightly sweat dropped and shook his head, "Yusuke... some things were never meant for you to understand." Kurama smiled to himself as Yusuke started yelling at him hotheadedly with Kuwabara and Hiei snickering at the true statement made by the fox. Kurama sighed softly and stole a glance at Hiei, he hadn't really been any different since the rescue of his sister, but again, why should he be? Kuwabara was the only one who showed any sign of change when it came to this ice maiden beauty.

-With Kikyou-  
Kikyou was kicking empty boxes around her small house, kind of feeling a need to clean, but would never allow herself to _actually_ clean. "It's so boring out here... Why bother going to this stupid skool or whatever they call it... Such a waste of time..." she mumbled to herself and decided to go take a walk in the park, that would relax her. While walking past the kids' playground with her hands in her pocket, Kikyou thought back of her last encounter with Hiei.

It had been drizzling and she still tried to make him say 'Thank you' for the tip she gave him about the bounty hunters being after him. Kikyou slightly giggled at the memory, '_He still hasn't thanked me..._' she thought with a small smile on her lips. Reminiscing some more, Kikyou transported herself back at the warehouse where she almost killed her boss before fleeing and finding Hiei, helping him escape Makai to go to her house. After he had glanced around the new surroundings, Kikyou remembered he had scared her for a minute when he unsheathed his katana quickly.

She had almost yelped when he threw his weapon "at" her but instead it killed the werewolf creeping up behind her, '_... I should have killed him myself though..._' regretted Kikyou as she noticed she almost tripped over a bench. "Sorry." she smiled apologetically to the elderly couple sitting close by and continued until she reached her favorite spot. Under the shady oak tree.

-With Kurama-  
The afternoon slowly ticked away, the Earth continuing its usual rotation of the sun, the shadows elongating on the streets. Kurama looked at his watch, "Oh, I almost missed it." he mumbled to himself. "Huh? Missed what?" inquired Kuwabara as clueless as the others, "Sorry but it appears I have a meeting at the school with the students' senate." he smiled apologetically and headed back towards school. "Student what--?" blinked Yusuke and Kuwabara as Hiei rolled his eyes, even **he** knew about it...

-With Hisa-  
"There... I'm all done." said Kayko carefully pulling Hisa's shirt back in place as she sat up. "Thanks..." whispered Hisa, almost fearfully. "No problem." smiled Kayko with so much friendliness and sympathy that Hisa smiled unconsciously before hearing a door slamming downstairs. Kayko's head turned to the door, "Is someone coming?" she asked softly, her gears turning that if Hisa was mistreated... and not allowed to bring guests... that could be bad, very bad for her... Hisa suddenly bolted up straight, grabbed Kayko's arm and dragged her to the small, and only, hiding place she could provide. Behind the mirror, one door closet.

"Don't say a word..." whispered Hisa hurriedly before closing the closet and going on her bed, grabbing a book to fake being busy. Her dad nearly knocked the door out of its hinges as he stormed into the room, "You bitch! It's all your fault!" he roared loudly, starting by smacking Hisa into the wall. Hisa grunted and tried to sit up, her head throbbing painfully against her sore skull, but her enraged father yanked her hair backwards, pulling her off the bed in a loud 'thud.' Inside the closet, Kayko hugged her knees tightly, her heart pounding in her chest. Never, ever, had she imagined a parent could be so brutal and cruel towards his own child.

"P-please s-stop..." whimpered Hisa, her hands on her hair to try and lessen the pain. "You stinkin', lying, worthless piece of crap!" continued her dad even louder while he kneed her in the stomach, still holding her hair. "He fired me because of you!" he hollered smacking Hisa's face again and again, countless times, ignoring the small trickle of blood escaping her closed lips. Kayko shivered in the closet, just the sounds of a beating frightened her and she was glad she didn't have to witness it on top of that... Until she heard a sharp yelp and had to cover her mouth to not gasp loudly. Drops of blood tainted the wooden floor once again, a loud breathing filling the now silent, thick air in the room.

Hisa felt thick liquid stain her shirt where Kayko had carefully tended to her wounds, she deduced he had kicked her so hard he had opened them again... Hisa didn't dare make a move, maybe he was going to leave, hopefully... She opened her eyes and watched him, he was doing something at the level of his pants but she couldn't make out what. Her eyes slightly widened when she understood, he slowly turned around, his leather belt in his hands and a wicked grin on his face. Hisa shivered and pushed herself back against the mirror, only access to the closet, or Kayko. "I'll make you feel my wrath... Nobody gets my fired because of a tramp!" he spat and grabbed Hisa by the throat.

Gasping for air, Hisa instinctively put both hands on his strong grip as he forced her up, pinning her to the door. "I'll teach you not to make a fool of me." he said through gritted teeth as his grip tightened around the leather belt before his fist collided with Hisa's forehead. The force of the impact was so great the mirror shattered as Hisa went through it, unconscious. Kayko used all her self control to not let out a horrified scream and squatted more in the dark corner so she wouldn't be seen. The tall figure snickered and brushed the glass of his jacket before he grabbed Hisa's ankle and pulled her out of the closet, oblivious to the deep gashes opening on her sides and arms.

-With Yusuke-  
"Kayko's not home? Really?" he nodded, "Thanks..." and hung up. "Her parents said a friend called and she left an hour and a half ago..." he said to Kuwabara. "I wonder where she is... It's not like her to be late." Yusuke sighed, he knew Kuwabara was right, Kayko wouldn't be late unless something showed up... something bad. "D'you think she's in trouble?" inquired the orange haired friend, Yusuke shrugged, "I have no clue..." '_I hope not._' he thought clenching his fists. "Hey wait... doesn't she have her cell phone?" blinked Kuwabara.

"Yeah! Kuwabara, you're a genius." smiled Yusuke teasingly as he quickly dialed Kayko's number. "She better pick up." he mumbled.

-With Hisa-  
"Wimp." muttered Hisa's father under his breath, letting go of her ankle. Kayko's breathing was so quick and shallow she thought she would pass out soon, her hands were white and she started to get cold. She was incapable of thought, her eyes fixed on Hisa's bloody form on the ground. The school uniform was ruined, no question about that, and the student in the uniform was close from being ruined as well. Hisa let out a small grunt as her dad started whipping her restlessly with the leather belt, "That'll wake you up, wench!" exclaimed the mad father. Kayko watched, transfixed in horror and shock when she thought she heard a soft ring.

'_Oh no!_' her eyes widened as she tried to sit on her phone to attenuate the ringing noise, it would give her away! Hisa slowly opened her eyes, her body stinging with pain, the world spinning around her but she clearly heard a cell phone ring, and apparently so did her dad...

-With Yusuke-  
"C'mon, pick up darn it!" frowned Yusuke, losing his patience.

* * *

School, but especially junior year, is really **really** _really_ a pain! An essay due for Friday, a book to read in a week and take a test on it, a history essay but notes flying around (2 hours every 2 day average) chemistry tests every week, algebra hw every night... I think I deserve a vacation after being at school for 3 weeks! Don't even have the weekends to look towards since SAT tutors come and torture me for 2 hours... arg... need break... and free time! I don't even have time to practice my flute anymore! . Wow it's been a long time since I last even opened this file... it's now October and I took the SAT and PSAT... so no more of that! But English and History hasn't changed at all... add French to that... -.- Meh. End of October... what do you know... 

Sorry for the ramble, I hope you skipped that... Just felt like some people should know why I'm not updating often anymore... needed to get it out of my system too... And another delay because of the major local disaster known as brush fire in California, Ventura county. Heard of it? I was in there... stressful... horribly stressful and disgusting to breathe... Got to ditch school one day though... XP

So thanks for all who reviewed, really when I read your reviews it made me smile. :) A really nice distraction from homework. So thank you so much!

Quick note: I just finished my essay! I can finally relax a bit... hehe

Thanks for waiting!

I edited these chapters to not get kicked off this site, so if you wish to have a review answer from me, please log in when you review. Or e-mail me. Whichever is best for you. Thanks for understanding.


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